These birds are one of the most difficult birds to get a nice photo of
they allways perch very high up,today i heard them in the garden,i nearly dissmissed it as my imagination,they sounded too low,
Well i am pleased i got the L400 out,and even more pleased with these
pics,they really are a 'mission impossible' job in the bird photography world.
I have been watching these birds for many years,they migrate from PNG
every year,they arrive here on the Blackbutt Range on the 27th of September every year,its amazing how the get the same day,but i really enjoy these observations,they depart March 15th,(that day is variable)
They are also called Rollers,they roll in flight,rather rambunctious and noisy,They have that amazon feel about them,i just showed a non bird
person these pics,they remarked how the beak looks Tucan like.
i have never been this close to these birds before,so good to have that lens to get a good photo.
They seem to favour perching at the top of dead trees, probably so they can take
in their surrounds. Interesting to see yours in thicker foliage, which makes a nice
background. Now for your next challenge, to catch a shot of the "dollar" under
the wings.
And once again Chris ... great images and information. How big are they ??? look about maybe touch under galah size in the pics. Do they fly south to breed ? Wonder why they would leave PNG and fly to southern QLD for the summer .. gotta be too hot for them at that latitude .. or they just like a holiday. Anyway, Im sure you can tell me.
How big are they ??? look about maybe touch under galah size in the pics. Do they fly south to breed ? Wonder why they would leave PNG and fly to southern QLD for the summer .. gotta be too hot for them at that latitude .. or they just like a holiday.
Hi Jeff,
They are not as large as a galah. Probably about 29cm. More like a kingfisher
without the long beak. They are certainly commonplace here in the Kuring-Gai
Chase National Park in the northern part of the Sydney at this time of year and
recently we have seen them most days or hear their characteristic "kak kak kak"
machine gun rattle. I think they might even make it further south into southern
NSW along the coast. I believe they head south to breed. We commonly see them
in pairs and they take alternating turns at going on insect hunting sorties whilst the
other waits, typically on a branch of a tall dead tree. They seem to be looking
out for insects. It is interesting how even a dead tree takes its place in the scheme
of things as far as habitat.
What is pretty is when you catch a glimpse of the blue circle under their wings - the
dollar.
There are a few other raucous visitors at this time of year including the channel
bill cuckoos who also come down from PNG. I've witnessed one swallow a
currawong's egg whole with its enormous beak.
The channel bills of course do their infamous egg-laying trick into the nests
of other birds.
They are not as large as a galah. Probably about 29cm. More like a kingfisher
without the long beak. They are certainly commonplace here in the Kuring-Gai
Chase National Park in the northern part of the Sydney at this time of year.
Thanks Gary, Sydney too eh .. well they get around dont they. Strange though I guess they are now just as comfortable in habitats close to man as they are in much less populated PNG.
Birds are funny things though. IVe been lucky enough to be able to feed them in different spots Ive lived. They are vary wary unless they are hungry .. then they break all the rules. When normally one would take to the wing if you get to 5 paces from it if its hungry it could actually land on your arm for first dibs at the meat.
Thanks Gary, Sydney too eh .. well they get around dont they. Strange though I guess they are now just as comfortable in habitats close to man as they are in much less populated PNG.
A documentary I wholeheartedly recommend, if you have never seen it,
came out in 2001 and was released here with the title "Travelling Birds:
An Adventure in Flight" though the original French title was "Le peuple
migrateur".
Filmed on seven continents over several years, the aerial photography
is breathtaking and technically brilliant as you follow various migratory
birds in flight around the planet.
I guess we tend to see things from a human perspective and in seeing
these migratory birds in the film undertake such epic, difficult and potentially
dangerous journeys across the globe, I am always left with the feeling that
if an individual human were, even today, undertaking such a solo flight
or equivalent solo navigation by sea, that we would use language such as
"brave", "courageous", "daring" and in some instances, even heroic.
By the end of the documentary I am always left with the sense that the
birds are the real heroes of the movie.
Anyway, it is available on DVD and here is the IMDB link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301727/
It is compelling viewing for anyone who has ever looked at wildlife through
a lens.
